The police in Lagos police said they arrested 57 men for alleged homosexual activity at Kelly Ann Hotel/ Event Centre in Egbeda, Lagos, on Sunday morning.
Imohimi Edgal, the state police commissioner, told journalists during a press conference Monday that police, led by the divisional police officers of Shasha and Idimu, acting upon information provided by a reliable source stormed the hotel at 2 am.
“On arrival, young men numbering about 80 were met in a hall taking different types of drinks including banned substance like Tramadol, Shisha laced with substances suspected to be Marijuana,” Mr Edgal added.
“When the men sighted the police, they took to their heels but the police arrested 57 of them.”
One of the arrested suspects, Wealth Olasunkanmi, a 25-year-old graduate of Mass Communication from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, told journalists they were attending a birthday party.
“It was a birthday party and majority of us don’t know one another. I was invited by my friend Muyiwa for the party, and we were not only guys in the party, few ladies were with us and other ladies were in the hotel rooms getting dressed for the party. Since it was a party, a social gathering, there were lots of males than females.
“The police just barged in and arrested people, I was outside the hall buying a drink when I was arrested. They also arrested few ladies but they let go of the ladies. The police didn’t allow us know our offence until we reached the police station yesterday. At first, the police told us that they found some illegal drugs with us such as shisha, tramadol and others but those that owned this came out and claimed possession of it, it is not a general thing.
“They also accused us of being homosexuals, I am not one, I went there to party. They also accused us of being initiated but no initiation material was founded with us or at the venue.”
Another suspect, Samuel Rotimi, 22, said, “We were contributing gate pass for the party when the policemen emerged. It was a birthday party and there were ladies there too, we are not gays.”
James Brown, 20, said he went to perform at the party when he was arrested.
“I went there to work and get paid. The party was on Saturday and it is (was) meant to be overnight. I was arrested and have been denied to even take my drug which is for medical reasons.”
Smart Jones, another suspect, said he had gone to have fun on Saturday night and on seeing the activities in the hotel, decided to go in.
“I am not gay and I don’t know any of them, it was even when we got to the police station that I got to know that it was a birthday party.”
Daniel Sokari, 23, said he had come to the hotel to lodge on his way back from a pageant, ‘Mr Toursim Nigeria’, which held in Lekki.
“I left there (Lekki) at 6 pm, there was traffic due to the Third Mainland Bridge closure, we took alternative route which was a long tour that was why I got to the hotel late to lodge.
“I live in Rivers State and only came for the pageantry. I was at the reception when the police came and they told me to lie down which I gladly did since I knew I had not committed any crime. But I was accused of being a gay.
“All efforts to explain to the police and show them the evidence of my invitation to the pageantry and pictures proved abortive,” he added. (Source: PREMIUMTIMES)
POLICE NABS 57 LAGOS FOR ALLEGED HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVITY
